All That Glitters
by LizzieV
Summary: Lightower. That's Lisbon/Hightower for you newbies. Spoilers/Tag for Red Gold, 3x15. Anonymous reviews allowed, even religious rants telling me I'm going to Hell for writing this.


Disclaimer: *in sing-song voice*I….I who have nothing. Does that count as a disclaimer? No? I think it should because having nothing implies that I don't own _The Mentalist_ or its characters and have made no monetary gains from their use. See, if you just look at it logically…

A/N: Spoilers for "Red Gold"…I'm so glad they _finally_ re-played it. Love the Hightower-centric-ness of it. And love the Lightower huggie hug. Dedicated to **Liery** for sending me a PM to get on with this pairing. Just the kick I needed!

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**All That Glitters**

Madeleine Hightower had seen better days. Usually these better days involved not having to shoot anyone…or having Patrick Jane discover she was going through a divorce. Usually these better days didn't involve Patrick Jane at all.

She was tired; a weariness that seemed to dwell in her bones and linger in her mind. Even the task of talking to the gold miner's son seemed impossibly taxing. Nonetheless, Hightower did her duty and told the murder victim's boy that he would be taken care of for the next while on the proceeds of a lucrative mineral cache. And what thanks did she get from the young man?

He asked her to thank Jane for him.

With worn-out feet and low self-worth, Madeleine made her way down the hall in search of her children. She was assured at least their unconditional love…

Standing in Lisbon's doorway and looking at the two loves of her life sleeping peacefully against the couch, Hightower could muster nothing more than a sigh. She heard herself begin to thank Teresa for looking after her munchkins and upon seeing the smile cross the younger woman's face, Madeleine was moved. Literally, moved.

Before better sense stopped her momentum, Madeleine found herself holding on to Teresa for dear life. It made the encounter much less awkward that Teresa was returning the embrace. The older woman whispered more words of gratitude before releasing her agent. The "anytime" Teresa whispered in response to her babysitting duties melted more of the coldness that had been building in Madeleine the past couple weeks. After exchanging a sleepy grin, Hightower made her way to awaken her children as Lisbon crutched her way out.

* * *

Teresa Lisbon made her way to the break area, her mouth suddenly running dry. Patrick Jane was still skulking about and as the dark-haired agent grabbed a water bottle from the fridge she thought this would be the perfect time to drill him about his little adventure.

"So, how was it?" Lisbon leaned awkwardly and closed the fridge door.

"How was what?" Jane asked, with his signature smirk growing exponentially. He knew how much being deliberately obtuse irked his partner. "Oh, being out with another woman?"

Teresa stifled the sudden urge to roll her eyes as Jane described working with Hightower as "dynamic" and "exhilarating" or some such other nonsense. Then he accused her of being jealous. And she admitted to herself that maybe she was a little bit jealous, but not for the reason Jane suggested. It intrigued Lisbon to wonder what it would be like to work with Madeleine in the field…

Throwing that thought aside, she kicked him in the shin with her good leg and made off back to her office as fast as she could go with her injury (not disablement, damn it!). By the time she got there, Hightower and the kids were gone. It surprised Teresa to feel a tinge of sadness at not being able to see them before they left. She plopped into her office chair and sighed. Fiddling with some paperwork, her fingers flew across something not her own. She groaned as she realized what it was: Mimi had left her homework.

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_Outside Madeleine Hightower's home…_

The more practical side of Teresa Lisbon understood that walking up to a house with a handful of flowers on crutches was not the brightest idea she'd ever had. But as she stumbled out of her car, the stubborn side of Teresa Lisbon won out. Besides, she truly needed to rid herself of the expensive bouquet of exotic blooms Mashburn had sent her this morning. Any reminders of previous indiscretions with the billionaire had recently begun to make Teresa nauseous.

Her liaison with Walter Mashburn had been a result of a sheer need to feel some sort of connection with another human being. He just happened to be the closest individual who wasn't Jane. Trying to push those thoughts aside, Teresa made her way up the porch steps.

Before Lisbon could turn and go, thinking better of visiting her superior's home so late in the evening (or at all), the porch light came on. Lisbon suddenly became intimately familiar with the feelings a deer caught in headlights must experience. The door opened and the security screen came towards the younger woman as Madeleine Hightower emerged.

"Hey Lisbon." There was only the slightest bit of shock evident in her voice upon greeting her late-night visitor. "What are you doing here?" Hightower was still wearing the dark-wash jeans from working in the field, but she'd taken off the jacket and now stood before her subordinate in a rather tight-fitting tank-top. It was that tank-top that caused Lisbon to involuntarily swallow before answering.

"Sorry to bother you, Boss. Mimi left her math notebook on my desk. I was helping her correct it." Lisbon hobbled to one side to release the notebook tucked under her arm and handed it to the other woman.

"Did she leave her flowers too?" Hightower motioned towards the bouquet Lisbon was clutching.

"Oh, uh. No. These are for you. Brighten up your day?" A rather becoming blush began to form across Teresa's cheeks. "Maybe a thank-you gift..or prize…for putting up with Jane the past couple days."

"Come in, Teresa. And you can drop the 'boss'." Lisbon was at a loss: she hadn't entertained the possibility of being asked inside and had no contingency plan in place. If she refused, would that be considered insubordination? Why would she want to refuse?

"Okay…b-Madeleine." Ever the observant agent, Lisbon had noticed that there was only one car in the driveway. She knew Hightower was married, but the incident today with her husband randomly dropping off the kids seemed rather odd. Looking around the entry way—on the tables where there were plenty of family pictures but none with the kid's father—Teresa knew something was up. "So, did the rat squad clear you for duty after the shooting?"

Madeleine motioned Teresa to take a seat on the couch in the living room, taking the crutches from the younger woman and setting them in the corner. The older woman took a seat before answering. "_IAB_," Hightower emphasized the acronym to let it be known she didn't like the familiar moniker internal affairs went by, "allowed me to give my preliminary statement. The inquiry will officially continue tomorrow. They knew I had my kids at the office and were nice enough to let me go without doing a full interview and de-briefing."

"There's a first for everything." Lisbon was always suspicious of the agents in charge of investigating other agents. Chief among them was that guy LaRoche. She usually wouldn't let her feelings be known, especially to her supervisor, but she felt comfortable around Madeleine. Especially lately. "Do you know that Mimi asked me if I was disabled today? I tried to explain the difference between 'disabled' and 'injured' and she was having none of it. She said I walked like I was disabled." Teresa smiled, "if my ankle didn't hurt so much, I'd a laughed. She's definitely precocious and I know where she gets it from."

"That's my girl. Always standing her ground." Madeleine leaned back into her plush sofa, folding her arms across her chest. It emphasized her tone arms and Lisbon had to catch herself from staring. "And you made quite the impression on both of them. They talked of nothing else on the way home until they went to bed and were wondering when they could see you again." Madeleine smirked and looked over at her agent.

"They are adorable. I really wouldn't mind taking them out some weekend you'd want to get away for the day. I haven't been to Great America in a long time and it's always better to go to a theme park with kids in tow," Lisbon offered excitedly.

"That sounds like a plan. But…" Madeleine uncrossed her arms and began to run her fingers along the denim covering her thighs, "I think I'd want to come along. I haven't been on a roller coaster in…forever." A genuine smile broke out on the older woman's face and it felt good. "We'll just have to wait until you're fully healed from your disablement."

Teresa groaned. "Not you too. Incorrigible." And just thinking about her _injury_ made it itch that much more. _At least it's not in a cast_, Lisbon thought as she bent down to scratch it.

"I'm sorry. Easy target. Here, let me help." Before Teresa knew it, Madeleine had brought her injured leg up to lay across her lap. The older woman began to gently massage from the calf down to the offending ankle. "You just have to get the blood flowing."

It was hard for Lisbon to hold back the moan Madeleine's rubbing begged to elicit. It was the first time in two days that her leg didn't hurt. The older woman continued the sweet assault, concentrating fully on the task at hand. It gave Teresa the opportunity to appreciate the other woman's profile: the beautiful bone structure of her face, her elongated neck flowing effortlessly into a rather ample bosom highlighted by the impossibly tight top…before she could go any further, Lisbon tried to reign in her errant thoughts.

Though distracted by the constant kneading of Madeleine's magic fingers, Teresa tried to decipher when she'd started to think of Hightower as more than just a boss…or even as more than a friend, but as a woman that she wanted to get to know on a more intimate level. Maybe it was the sadness she'd seen in the other woman's eyes lately. Teresa knew sadness well and when she saw it in someone like Madeleine, she wanted to fix it.

"That feels amazing. Were you a masseuse before becoming a big, bad state agent?" Lisbon's voice had taken up a slight husk of its own volition.

The older woman chuckled before responding, "I've had my fair share of ankle injuries and always wished someone would do this for me. No special training necessary."

"I'm sorry no one ever did it for you, but I promise that I will return the favor." Lisbon paused, "Well, I'm not hoping you roll your ankle or anything. But just in case."

"Thanks, Teresa." Madeleine stopped her ministrations and laid her hands along Teresa's shin. "So, I don't know if Jane already told you but you'll probably find out soon enough anyway…I'm getting a divorce." Hightower exhaled slowly and looked over at the younger woman.

"That really sucks." Because the "I kinda figured" response that Teresa really wanted to give was even less appropriate.

"Maybe it was a long time coming. Maybe it's for the best." Another sigh from Madeleine before adding, "I'm just sad for the children. They don't deserve it."

"They deserve a mom that's happy and obviously you weren't happy in the marriage. They'll appreciate it when they're older." Teresa reached over awkwardly to place her hands on top of Madeleine's, "It'll be a tough transition, but they're going to make it just fine. Kids are resilient, especially yours." Teresa squeezed the older woman's hands. "You're going to make it too."

Madeleine gently lifted Teresa's leg and placed it back on the carpet. Then she scooted closer and enfolded Teresa in a hug, whispering "thank you" in her ear. Teresa's arms moved along Madeleine's back, between her shoulders, holding her into the hug. She swore she could feel the tightening and relaxing of muscles beneath her fingertips through the thin material separating them from Madeleine's bare skin. This was getting dangerous.

If Teresa just tugged her a little towards herself, she could have Madeleine on top of her…face-to-face, chest-to-chest. Teresa could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks once more. Before the younger woman could continue with that particular line of thinking, Madeleine was pulling away. Instead of returning to her previous position, Madeleine hovered in Teresa's personal space and met her gaze. The younger woman's porcelain skin glowed as Madeleine cupped her cheek. She ran her thumb along Teresa's cheekbone all the way across until she was cupping the back of her head. Their breath mingled as Madeleine moved her head closer.

Madeleine saw no resistance in the younger woman's eyes, only acceptance and a ghosting of desire she desperately wanted to explore. As she brought her lips to meet Teresa's, moving them against the impossibly soft lips of the other woman, she waited anxiously until she felt what she wanted most. Teresa Lisbon kissing her back.

It lasted less than a minute and as Madeleine pulled away, she spoke quietly, "I shouldn't have done that. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable at all…it's just been such emotional turmoil lately and you've been so amaz—" The older woman couldn't finish her explanation or compliment before she was pulled down into a searing kiss, this time instigated by Teresa herself.

It was something they would need to talk about in great detail…but for now Madeleine allowed herself to get lost in Teresa's kisses.

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A/N: This is my 27th story posted on ffnet…and I am posting it on my 27th birthday! Happy Birthday to me! It's not my best, but it's here.


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